The Anomaly
by moutonx
Summary: Madeline Stevens is an outcast. She doesn't fit in with anyone, getting bullied is a common occurrence and soon it begins to take its toll. What happens when Sirius begins to take an interest in the girl two years his junior? Will the pressure of his attention cause her more pain or will she draw strength from it, from him? M for later chapters.
1. Debts

**Debts**

I was reading over my transfiguration textbook, preparing for Professor McGonagall's lesson the following morning. The fireplace was warming my feet as I had my legs stretched out in front of me, the book lying in my lap. The Gryffindor common room was rowdier than usual. It was the first night back after being away for the entire summer break.

It was tradition for the common room to be this busy on the first night back. Everyone was excited to see their school friends again and when they grouped up again it usually meant an extremely loud catch up. First years were normally the quietest, often huddling in small groups of three or four and observing which Gryffindor's were the highest on the social food chain. There were of course a few first years that were watching everyone all by their lonesome but quickly finding another like them and forming a group within a few seconds of catching one another's eye. Unless you were like me. Someone who was instantly judged by the way they looked or the way they acted. The anomalies.

My first year at Hogwarts was the worst. From the moment I stepped onto the platform I knew I wasn't meant to fit in with everyone else. Maybe I distanced myself from everyone else too early to actually know whether I'd be accepted or not but judging by the looks I was getting as soon as I ran through that brick wall, I knew. I knew I was an outcast. I was incredibly awkward at just my young eleven years. I was short and had braces, my hair was frizzy and I had acne. I wasn't the best looking kid, and I knew it, and I never tried to tell myself any different. I suppose people pick up on your insecurities pretty quickly, especially when they're blatantly obvious and they use it against you. I stepped into a compartment and was greeted with cruel names, resulting in me crying in the bathroom the entire way to Hogwarts. Best train ride of my life… Not. But that was when it all began and ever since then, absolutely nothing has changed, apart from the fact that I lost the braces, the hair that was once compared to a birds nest, the acne and I grew. It would always be the same, I would always be the same, and I would always be an anomaly.

The catch ups turned into screaming matches as everyone tried to be heard over one another. I could feel a headache coming on and the chatter in the common room was distracting, causing me to read one sentence over and over again in the hope of finally gaining some kind of knowledgeable understanding from it. However, it was just not meant to be. I wiggled my toes and gently closed the book after finishing my sentence. I held the book tightly in one hand and placed my other on the coffee table behind me that I was using as a backrest. I pushed myself up from the floor, using the table as support and quickly made my way over to the stairs to avoid the loud and annoying voices of the Gryffindor students. I was careful not to bump into anyone, knowing that any contact from a social leper would conclude in me being severely embarrassed in front of a bunch of new students as well as the rest of my peers, also the fact that I would be teased until another situation popped up and they would taunt me over that too. One accidental touch to someone higher up on the social pyramid would mean that my fifth year at Hogwarts would turn into a year of hell on earth rather than a magical paradise I'd always dreamed I'd experience at this school.

I raised my small hand that wasn't holding my book to my head, gently massaging my temple in the hope that it would get rid of the gradually increasing pain in my skull. I closed my eyes for a second as I continued to make my way up the stairs until I bumped into something hard, knocking me back and causing me to drop my textbook with a small thud that could barely be heard above the noise. My eyes snapped open, finding a broad chest right in front of me. My mouth automatically began forming an apology before a coherent sentence could be formed in my brain.

"Oh - I – Erm - I'm sorry! I didn't mean – I should have – I mean – I should have been looking where I was going" I finally managed to get out through my nervous lips. I looked up into the face of the person I had bumped into and found that my breath caught in my throat. I held my breath waiting for his reaction, with a million thoughts running through my head.

_Oh God! Not him! Him of all the people in the flipping Gryffindor Tower! He's known for his cruel nature! Oh my gosh! What have I done?! Why me? On the first day back too! Merlin, I am so damn lucky aren't I? He's going to make my fifth year the worst I've ever had here and it's my own entire fault! Why did I close my eyes, damn it!_

A smirk ran across his face as he watched my every move with a mischievous glint in his grey eyes. His muscly arms crossed over his toned torso as he looked down on me. I quickly glanced down, unable to maintain eye contact with the gorgeous boy for too long. Maybe if I looked away that would be enough of a victory for him and he wouldn't torture me in front of all the Gryffindor's. I knew deep down that this was far from reality though. Out of the corner of my blue eyes I caught sight of my textbook lying on the floor at my feet. I bent down and picked it up, clutching it to my chest as though it was my most prized possession. I continued looking down, wondering when he was going to do something. I mean if he hadn't done something by now he wasn't going to do anything, right? I tried my chances and tried to move around him, only to have him blocking my path. He probably wanted me to grovel at his feet for forgiveness but I was going to willingly humiliate myself, especially in front of first years.

I tried to side step him a couple more times, only having him predict my every move and block my every attempt to escape his burning gaze and the embarrassment that was sure to come. I took my Gryffindor courage and stared at him in the eyes, trying to convey my desperation to leave the common room and be free from him which he only returned with an even bigger smirk gracing his beautiful face. Damn him.

He slowly leaned in towards me; it was unexpected to say the least. The stubble on his cheek gently scratched across my soft one and his hot breath was on my neck, making butterflies flutter furiously in my stomach. His lips grazed my ear, making a shiver run up my spine, as he whispered "You owe me, Stevens." My eyes widened to an incredible size at his words and I'm absolutely certain he saw fear swimming in them as he pulled back to look into my eyes, a mischievous glint in them as they shone in the growing darkness of the common room.

He winked as he sauntered off towards his friends, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I stood stock still on the stairs. How did he know my name? Why has he let me off tonight? Why is everyone not laughing at me yet, was this a new part of his cruel teasing? Making me think that I got away with it. What did he want me to do? I owed him now for letting me walk away emotionally and physically stable. When would he come asking for his payment? So many questions with so many answers, but one thing I did know was that it was never good to hear those words come from the mouth of Sirius Black.

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Ok so that was my first chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm kinda nervous, especially since this is my first fanfiction. Let me know what you think! Also let me know what I can improve on! I always like constructive criticism, it makes my writing improve! Thanks! I hope to update weekly by the way haha!


	2. Friends?

Hey, last chapter I forgot to put up a disclaimer! I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, even though I wish I could. Hopefully that's good enough haha! Enjoy xx

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**Friends?**

As I awoke from the land of dreams and perfection I grumbled and stretched my tense body. Despite what had happened the night before, I surprisingly had a good dream. In my dream I was the most beautiful girl in the whole school, with the popularity people only dreamed of. I had all the boys fighting for my attention, some even getting into physical fights just so they could hold my books for me as we walked to class. I was the cleverest student in all of Hogwarts history too, making boys and girls alike both fear and admire my might intelligence. The girls all wished to be my best friend, often bickering over who knew me better and who would be a better friend to me. Everyone wanted to be like me and I was happy, I was smart yet knew how to have fun, I was the real me. Thinking back on the dream brought a smile to my face, only to vanish in an instant when I came to the realisation that not even an ounce of my dream was even remotely truthful. MY reality was the complete opposite.

I sighed as I pushed the covers away from my body and sat on my bed, my feet now on the wooden floor boards. I tiredly rubbed my eyes, yawning quietly, aware of the other girls in the dorm I shared with. I got up, tip-toeing my way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day that was ahead. I shut the bathroom door as quietly as I possibly could; only letting a small click from the door make any sound. I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror. My messy brown hair was sticking up at odd angles, making me look as though I had been pulling strands in different directions. My eyes were large but lacking life, I looked into them deeply and saw nothing but loneliness and sadness within them. I looked away, unable to see the pain in myself anymore and stripped myself from my short shorts and an oversized t-shirt. I climbed into the shower and turned it straight to a boiling temperature. I let the water soak my knotty hair and reached my strawberry shampoo, slowly massaging it into my scalp. The berry scent had me relaxing almost immediately, making me forget about my low self-esteem. I replaced the bottle back on the little shelf in the shower and washed the soap suds out of my hair. Next came the conditioner, strawberry scented too. Everything I had was strawberry scented, I think it's because it reminded me of my mother who was the one person I was closest to, the one person who accepted me for I am. I combed through my hair with my fingers, allowing the conditioner to be soaked up at the ends of my hair at the same time. I rinsed it off afterwards and lathered my body in a strawberry smelling shower gel. I scrubbed my body, washing all the dirt that may have gathered on me. I then spent the next fifteen minutes just standing under the hot water, thinking back on my dream and what it would be like to actually be me, the REAL me.

I stopped the running water, sticking my arm out of the shower curtain and searched for my towel. After finally coming across the blue fluffy towel I wrapped it tightly around myself, stood in front of the mirror once again and brushed my teeth. I cast a spell to remove all the steam that had formed in the bathroom and was able to look at myself in the mirror properly once again. I wasn't sure if I looked better or worse than before I went in the shower. Now I think I just looked like a drowned rat. Definitely worse. I muttered a quick drying spell, effectively drying my hair and body, making my brunette locks fall in waves down to the middle of my back.

With the towel still wrapped around my naked body, I stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and fully awake and got dressed in the school robes, the Gryffindor crest proudly shown on my chest. I reached for my book bag that I had packed the night before and swung it across my shoulder, quietly making my way down to the common room. The door to my room closed with a soft click, making me wince slightly, wondering whether such a tiny noise could wake one of the cruel girls who were sleeping inside.

The girls who I shared with were kind to me sometimes, usually when they wanted something, like me to do their homework or something that benefitted them in one way or another. However, most of the time they thought that taunting me and making fun of me in front of a large crowd of people was entertaining. I could only hope that things would change this year. I didn't want to suffer from another one of their nasty ideas to torture me in front of the entire student body. I still remember the worst thing they did to me. Last year I had finally put my foot down and refused to do any of their work, I was stressed out with all my own school work, let alone theirs too, and I was having major problems with my step-father at the time. To say the least they didn't take well to my sudden outburst of bravery, they left me standing in just my bra and panties in front of all the houses in the Great Hall. I was absolutely mortified. I was already ashamed of the way I looked, constantly believing I was overweight and only having it confirmed by all the dodgy looks I was getting after I run away from every person's eyes as they stared at me in disgust. I couldn't really blame them though, if I was looking at someone whose flab was on display and who had my face I'd probably think the same thing.

As I was lost in my memory I didn't notice I was already at the bottom of the girls' staircase. I heard hushed voices coming from the sofas in the empty common room. I looked over to where the suspicious voices were coming from and found three people I definitely did not want to see. Remus Lupin, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew were all huddled together in front of the fireplace. I held my breath, hoping they wouldn't notice me as I hurried my way across the large room and then onto the Great Hall for breakfast. The thought of food made my stomach growl, I quickly looked up, praying that they didn't hear the loud noise my stomach had made. I silently thanked Merlin for their interest in their conversation. They clearly hadn't noticed me as they were all speaking quite tensely if I do say so myself. Something was obviously going on with them but I didn't want to know, if I found out anything they were trying to keep secret I'd be accused of telling somebody, even though I didn't have any friends, and then they'd hex me to oblivion. I shook my head, trying my best to not think about all the nasty spells they had used on Severus Snape. They were all so cruel to that boy. Especially Potter and Black. Just because he was a Slytherin they thought they could bully him constantly, poor boy was just like me, another social outcast and was being punished for it, even though being an outsider was punishment enough.

I made it to the portrait hole without being seen or heard and quickly scurried out of the room. Just as I made it out of the hole I felt a sudden and hard tugging on my arm, pulling me straight into the arms of a muscular man. I opened my mouth to scream out for someone to help when the boys hand clamped over my mouth. I fearfully looked into the eyes of my captor and found myself looking into the eyes of none other than Sirius Black, again…

"You just can't help but bump into me can you Stevens?" He said with that ever present smirk that never seemed to leave his face. Infuriated by his cockiness and blatant lie I threw my head back, breaking away from his hand so I could offer my opinion.

"I did not bump into you! You grabbed me and pulled me to you! And then you had the nerve to place your hand on me. I may be a nobody and you may be the infamous Sirius Black but that doesn't give you the right to manhandle me!" I quickly let out, not even realising what I was saying until it was already out. My eyes grew in recognition of what I had just said, on the attitude I had said it in and who I was speaking to. I felt my eyes tearing up, trying my best to blink away the salty liquid that was now filling up, and threatening to spill over. My hands were placed over my mouth, replacing where his hand was just a few seconds ago.

"Why are you crying?" He said with his voice suddenly turning soft and the smirk gone from his face.

"I-I'm not. I'm ju-just sorry. Please don't send me to the Hospital Wing, please I'll do anything. Pl-please just don't hex me for being stupid this morning, I promise I'll never o-open my big mouth again!" I whispered, my voice cracking in several places of my reply.

"I'm not going to hurt you Madeline" he said, a frown marring his normally flawless face. I looked at him, disbelief covering my face. His eyes showed nothing but honesty though, making me think that I could trust him, but this was Sirius Black, he wasn't trustworthy in the slightest. Who knew when he was going to change his mind, especially if he changed his mind the way he changed which girl was laying in his bed. I breathed a sigh of relief, the tears going back to where they came from. I looked down at the floor, not once bringing my eyes up to meet his.

At that moment the other three Marauders climbed out of the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, their eyes landing on Sirius and I at once.

"Pads, what's going on? Is the weirdo bothering you?" One of them, I assumed to be Peter, said in a nasally voice. After a moment of silence, I looked up at Sirius with a questioning look in my eyes. Why hadn't he responded yet? Was he thinking of hexes to use against me? His eyes held mine, making me utterly incapable of looking away.

"No, she's doing quite the opposite actually _Wormtail,_" he replied, saying the nickname given to Peter in a distasteful manner, "She's coming to breakfast with us actually. She's gonna be hanging around we us lot for a while now, she's going to be our _friend_ now, so keep your weirdo comments to yourself." He glanced at James when he said 'friend', making me frown in confusion.

The confusion however, quickly turned to shock and horror which must have been obvious in my face because Sirius gave me a wink and his smirk reappeared on his face. THIS was my punishment for accidentally knocking into him yesterday? I now had to sit in the company of the four most horrible boys in the whole of Gryffindor? The ones who had been relentless when it came to pranks on me in my first year? Great, this was absolutely wonderful, I could imagine it now. I was going to be used as a test subject, they'd probably perform spells on me, seeing the effects and then doing them on some other poor soul. This was the WORST thing that could ever happen to me! Not only would I have to suffer their abuse but the abuse I'd get from all the girls at school for even conversing, if I had to that is, with Sirius Black! Every chance they'd get they'd humiliate me.

After the three boys plastered fake smiles on their faces, muttering their Okays, James a little more enthusiastic than the other two, they walked off together. This left me with Sirius alone, conversing in hushed tones again, only this time I was sure they were talking about me.

"Are we going to stay here all day then? Not that I mind the view at all," he said flirtatiously as he winked, causing my cheeks to heat up in embarrassment, "but I am absolutely starving!" and with that he pulled me by my hand, dragging me through the hallways and to the entrance of the Great Hall. My cheeks never simmered down to their usual colour, only remaining the tomato colour as I could only focus on my hand enveloped in Sirius's. We stopped just outside the huge wooden doors and he turned around, his face inches from mine.

"Listen Maddy, can I call you Maddy?" Without waiting for an answer he continued on, "this is part of what you owe me. You know, remember yesterday? Well I need you to pretend to be my friend. See Lily said Prongs needs to start caring about the erm- well, the people who don't really fit in and my ex said I need to do the same if I want her back. I'm sure I could think of some other things if you didn't agree but I'm sure that wouldn't benefit us at all, ay? Sooo, what do you say? That ok with you Maddy? Great! Now let's eat!" he said, not noticing or ignoring my face of fear.

How was I supposed to play the part of someone's friend? Especially when that friend was Sirius Black? I've never had friends before, what was I supposed to do? What if they didn't like me at all when they started to get to know me? Surely being friends involves getting to know people right? But we weren't _really_ friends; he was only going to be acting like my friend to get his precious ex-girlfriend, Abbey Cromwell, back into his sheets. I should prepare myself to get dumped as soon as he got Abbey back. Don't get too attached. I don't have friends and I never will.

"Hey Maddy! You coming or what?" Sirius shouted from his seat at the Gryffindor table, laughing as James whispered something in his ear. I plastered a weak, obviously fake smile on my face, slowly walking over to them and sitting next to the devil himself who immediately wrapped his arm around my shoulders, talking heartily to his friends about the quidditch matches they had ahead of them.

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I just want to say a quick thank you to those who followed my story, it means a lot!

So what did you think? Was it rubbish? I'm not too confident in my writing at the moment. I need reviews people, tell me what you think! Thanks!


	3. Confessions

**Confessions**

My shoulders were tense as if they had a sudden weight pressing down on them. Oh wait, that's right, Sirius Black's arm was resting on them as though this was a normal occurrence for us. The most attractive and one of the most popular boys arm was around _me!_ What topped it all was the fact that he looked as though everything was normal, as though we acted this way every day. He clearly didn't notice my tense muscles and the way contact with him was affecting me.

I was looking down at my slice of toast with a thin layer of butter coating it, not daring to look up as the many students entered the Great Hall for their breakfast. The whispers from the Sirius Black fan club were enough to make me fear for my life, for the rest of my life, as well as knock my already low self-esteem down a peg or two.

"Why is he sitting with _her?_ She's nothing like the other bitches Sirius talks to!"

"Merlin, she's ugly! What does he see in _that?!"_

"Good God, have you seen the size of those love handles? I'd rather die than look like that. She's disgusting."

Of course all these delusional girls believed that Sirius and I were more than 'friends'. It wasn't really that surprising really. I mean, every girl that Sirius spoke to, with the exception of Lily Evans, ended up in his bed for a romp in the sheets. That and the fact that the girls who were obsessed with Sirius had some serious mental issues. Even though I was used to the cruel jibes of my fellow students, I'd never had them in this magnitude. Over the years I had built up walls around myself to protect me from the bullies but this time, all the taunts affected me, it hurt so much more than it usually did.

"Hey Stevens, don't listen to the crazies, ok? They're just jealous that they're not under Sirius' arm" James said with a teasing wink. I continued to look at my toast, only briefly showing my gratitude to him through a small smile. I took a small bite of my toast so I could avoid any conversation that the Marauders could come up with. I should have known I'd regret it though.

"She's eating carbs with _that_ body? She's disgusting!" I heard the non-too quiet whispers of a couple of Gryffindor girls in sixth year.

"So Stevens, what's your timetable like?"

"Erm, well, I'm not too sure yet Potter. Professor McGonagall hasn't given out our schedules yet."

"Oh yeah haha," he said with a dopey look on his face, "Well speak of the devil! She's coming round with them now." A handsome smile graced his face accompanied with a mischievous glint sparkling in his eyes as he took a quick glance at the other Marauders.

"Ah Miss Stevens, there you are. I'm glad you're making friends," said Professor McGonagall who was standing behind James, a twinkle in her eyes, "even if it is Mr Black and his friends."

"We're happy too Minnie! She's a great girl" James said, stretching his head back to look at the Professor without turning around. As Professor McGonagall focused on James, I saw Sirius reach for his wand discreetly and mutter a spell under his breath. Not wanting to get him caught I continued looking at the Professor, my eyes widening and a laugh trying to escape my mouth as I saw her nose grow to an impossible length, her ears becoming pointy and larger than life. I covered my mouth, trying to hide my giggles as a cough.

Professor McGonagall looked at me with a questioning look on her face, an eyebrow raised. "Yes I'm sure Mr Potter. Refrain from calling me that name again or you'll see yourself land in detention. Miss Stevens, your timetable for the year." She handed me the piece of paper that showed me all the classes I would take for the rest of the school year. "Professor Dumbledore and I are allowing you to take classes with the seventh years for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration and Charms because of your exceptional grades. Your far too advanced to continue taking the classes with the students in your year and above. Congratulations Miss Stevens, I look forward to seeing you in class." She finished, handing out the remaining timetables to the other students, all the while not realising the change to her facial features. Once she wasn't in hearing distance anymore, everyone burst into loud guffaws, even me. Once I realised how much attention we were getting I quickly kept quiet, looking down at my plate of now cold toast once again.

"Congratulations Madeline! It really is quite an achievement!" said Lily Evans once the boys laughter had turned into quiet giggles. Once James heard his love interest's voice, he silenced himself, listening intently to her soft and melodic tone. She was smiling proudly at me, in an almost motherly fashion. As I looked up at her, I smiled a genuinely warm but shy smile, thanking her for her kind words. She returned it with one last bright smile in my direction before chatting animatedly with her friends.

"She's gorgeous isn't she? Absolutely gorgeous" sighed James with a love-struck expression on his face.

"Yeah Prongs. Lily's right though Madeline, I've never heard of anyone getting to sit in classes two years above them. It's incredible. You should be very proud" Remus' voice said, a pleased expression covering his face. I thanked him much like I did with Lily and turned back to my toast again, this time a frown marking my face.

"What's wrong?" came Sirius's deep voice right next to my ear, causing my frown to intensify, making my already unattractive face look remarkably worse.

"Nothing, I'm just- I'm just hungry" I replied, quickly coming up with an excuse. I stuffed my toast in my mouth in an attempt to make my lie more believable. Realising how I looked forcing a whole slice of toast in my mouth made me blush, knowing what a state I probably looked like. I should have known that I would regret my impulsive action as soon as I did it.

"She really is a pig."

"Yuck, I think I'm going to be sick just looking at her."

"Excuse me whilst I gag!" came the loud comments from all the girls who had been watching me like a hawk since they had noticed I was sitting next to the love of their lives.

"Don't lie to me Madeline," Sirius said in a somewhat annoyed and upset tone. He removed his arm from around me, crossing his arms over his chest and piercing me with a stare that anyone would be scared into telling their deepest darkest secrets to. "I can always tell when people lie, I can almost _sniff_ it out." His comment was obviously some sort of inside joke because James, Remus and Peter had all stopped their quiet conversation and snorted, not even bothering to hide their amusement with his comment. I frowned even more, the frown lines surely staying there for life. An unnatural sense of longing came over me, making me wish that I knew what they were laughing about.

I finally swallowed the food that was in my mouth but remained silent, not wanting to answer his question. I refused to look at him too, just in case he would make me tell him my insecurities. I looked over my timetable, pretending that he hadn't asked me anything. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the look of frustration that passed across his face before he turned away from me. He had effectively blocked me out of his group, causing an overwhelming feeling of sadness to wash over me. People couldn't even _pretend_ to be my friends; even the boys who liked a challenge couldn't even pretend to like me. With tears suddenly springing to my eyes, I grabbed my belongings as quickly as I could and rushed out of the Great Hall and to the closest bathroom there was. What I didn't realise as I was hurrying to get away was that someone was running to catch up with me. When someone grabbed my elbow and forced me to turn around and crash into a warm hard body, I just did what my instincts told me to do. I screamed. This only caused the stranger to clamp their hand over my mouth, muffling my screams.

"Maddy shh! It's me Maddy, shh, it's me Sirius!" he said in an urgent whisper, looking over his shoulder to see if there had been any witnesses. I immediately quietened after hearing his voice in my ear. I surprised myself when I felt myself relax in his hold.

"Now Maddy, what's wrong? Why'd you run off like that? Are you crying?" he asked in what sounded like a concern as he wiped away my falling tears with his thumb. His hand went to rest on the side of my neck. My blood was pumping with the feel of his body on mine. Maybe it was an overreaction but my neck was a sensitive area for me and the fact that _Sirius Black_ was touching me there made my heartbeat beat at an unnatural pace. I was she he figured out the affect he had on me judging by the tiny smirk that appeared on his face as he looked down at me from his 6 foot tall frame. "Maddy? Are you gonna answer me or are we just gonna stand in this hallway staring at each other until you do?"

His words jolted me out of my thoughts, only making me focus on the pros and cons of standing in the hallway with Sirius Black. It was well known that Sirius got what he wanted, one way or another, as well as it was known that he never gave up on a challenge. However, one trait of his that worked to my advantage was that he got bored very easily, hence all the different girls he took an interest in. He could never stick to one. If Sirius always got his way though, then he probably wouldn't give up. I might as just shorten my suffering and give him the answer he was so intent on hearing. I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply, then opened my eyes and made sure I kept eye contact with Sirius, drawing strength and confidence from deep within me.

"I-I'm- You already know that I don't have any friends and you already know that I'm a freak and a weirdo and just, just someone you never want to associate with. I guess I'm just not used to all the attention and all the girls and some of the guys are looking at me as if I just killed their cats and-"

"That's fine, I've never really liked cats anyway, I much prefer dogs" he smirked, clearly amused by something that I had no knowledge of. I fixed him with a glare, not appreciating his attempt at humour when I was opening up to him, the way I hadn't with anyone else. He had the grace to offer me an apologetic smile.

"And then you got mad at me and I lost you as a friend even though you weren't really a friend to begin with. I don't think you're even capable of pretending to be my friend so it made me think that I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life. I'll only end up ruining your reputation, as well as James', Remus' and Peter's, if I continue to be around you and I really don't want to give you any more reason to hate me and-"

"Shut up" my mouth was still open to carry on with my heartfelt speech but nothing came out as I tried to process what Sirius had just demanded. "You can close your mouth you know? You don't want any flies getting in there. Now listen to me Madeline Stevens. You are not a freak, you are not a weirdo and you are someone that _I_ want to talk to. If you weren't then I wouldn't be standing in front of you right now, I'd probably be chatting up another girl. I didn't get mad at you, I was just frustrated. You're not like the other girls. They would never not answer a question because I always get the answers I want and I've _never_ been ignored before. I didn't like the new feeling. I usually get what I want and you didn't give me what I wanted so, so I was just frustrated." My mouth was still open as he was speaking, making Sirius laugh at the hanging of my jaw. He moved his hand from the side of my neck to my chin, forcing my jaw closed. His hands then went down to rest on my hips. "As for our reputations, nothing could destroy them; we've done too much for one girl to put even a little dent in them. I don't hate you, none of us do, I don't know what made you think that. I'm going to prove you wrong though, that's a promise."

"But you said you were going to pretend to be my friend, I-I-"

"No Maddy, I said _you_ were going to pretend to be _my_ friend. I just thought you didn't like people because you never really socialise unless it's with Lily."

"She's the only person that treats me like everyone else" I said in a small voice that even I didn't recognise as I looked down to my feet, losing all the confidence I had gathered for that brief moment.

"Hey don't turn back into shy Maddy! I like feisty Maddy, she's very sexy!" he said throwing me a cheeky wink. I could only laugh as a reply, a noticeable blush forming on my face. "I've been meaning to ask you, what is that metal in your mouth?"

I immediately shut my mouth to try and hide my braces. "They're called braces. It's a muggle invention to make teeth become straighter."

"Can I try something?" he asked apprehensively, as if he was scared I was going to run away from him. I reluctantly nodded my head, giving him the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't do anything to harm me. He whipped out his wand and pointed it right at my mouth, "Open up beautiful." I did as I was told, mentally weighing out whether this was a good idea or not, a deeper shade of red covering my cheeks as I did so. He mumbled a spell, leaving my mouth feeling empty. At first I thought he'd got rid of all my teeth and my eyes widened in shock and embarrassment but I quickly realised this was not the case. His genuine smile told me that. I ran my tongue along my now straight teeth.

"How did you do that?" I whispered, taking in the fact that I was no longer 'metal mouth'.

"I did a spell, it's called magic" he teased. "I may have played a prank on Malfoy involving metal. Minnie did the spell to reverse it."

"Oh right. For a second I thought you'd actually studied something. Thank you Sirius. I don't think you realise how much it means to me." I whispered, feeling nothing but gratitude for the boy standing before me. I was pulled away from his eyes when I saw the hallway becoming busier with students rushing to get to their first classes of the year.

"What are friends for ay? What class do you have now? I'll walk you."

"Potions," I told him.

"Come on then," he said as he dragged me towards the dungeons. As we reached the doorway to the classroom he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Don't cause too much trouble gorgeous."

"I'm usually the one who is the victim of everyone's troublemaking."

"Let me know and I'll sort them out. I'll pick you up after class so wait for me." With that, he gave me a hug, wrapping his arms around me and crossing his hands on my lower back. Without realising I had wrapped my arms around his neck, his body pulling me closer to his. He broke the hug, smiled down at me and sauntered off the way we had come. A big grin made its way on my face and a spark of happiness twinkled in my eyes.

Maybe this year wasn't going to be so bad after all.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks for the followers but I'd really appreciate a review! Let me know what you guys think. Is my writing ok? What did you think of the chapter? Want anything in particular to happen? Lemme know! Hope you enjoyed it! See you next week xxx**


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